The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is witnessing one of its biggest internal crises following its historic Assembly election defeat, with a wave of resignations and open rebellion by MLAs and MPs
triggering a major political churn within the party.
Amid the turmoil, a group of rebel MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar submitted a letter to Speaker Om Birla on May 18, claiming Dastidar as the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha.
On Friday morning, News18 accessed the letter, which bears the signatures of 19 rebel TMC MPs.
The letter was signed by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Dr Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Jagadish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia and Partha Bhowmick.
Speaking about the letter to CNN-News18, Arup Chakraborty said, “We submitted this letter to the speaker to save the reputation of TMC. Why was Mamata silent when all things were happening? She formed a party; she is the party leader. Why did she remain mum? Now the train has left the station. Why didn’t she call for a party meeting? BJP will do their own job, TMC will do their job, and other parties will do their jobs. BJP is ready to help us for the nation.”
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Rebel MPs Claim Kakoli As Lok Sabha Chief Whip
In the letter, the MPs claimed that while Banerjee removed Dastidar as the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha and appointed Kalyan Banerjee to the position, that formal communication apparently did not reach the Lok Sabha secretariat. So, for the Lok Sabha, she would still be the Chief Whip. This would mean no anti-defection law for the rebels.
After the dissident MPs informed Lok Sabha Speaker of their decision to support the NDA, Kakoli asserted that she continues to be the party’s legitimate chief whip in the Lok Sabha, arguing that her removal had never been formally communicated to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Speaking to ANI, Ghosh said that things had been “getting from bad to worse” in Bengal, as she cited financial irregularities, collapse of health, education and the film industry.
“There was a policy which was a pro-people agenda for the poor people of the state… But in the last 3-4 years, the work has been suboptimal,” Ghosh said.
Also Read:‘Real Trinamool Is Mamata Banerjee’: Mahua Moitra Reaffirms Loyalty To Party Chief’s Leadership
Meanwhile, the rebel faction has levelled several allegations against Mamata Banerjee, claiming she has become disconnected from the realities on the ground in both the government and the party, allowing corruption to flourish.
They have also objected to the growing influence of her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, alleging that the Trinamool Congress National General Secretary and the party’s second-in-command has been vested with excessive authority.
The internal crisis within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) continues to intensify, with a string of resignations and statements from rebel leaders fuelling speculation about the party’s future and the possibility of a political realignment.
